Connecting means



c&. 8, 1935. H. A. DOUGLAS I 3 9 CONNECTING MEANS Filed July 1952 Har y palyza J @y f Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to connecting means more particularly for electrical conductors such as insulated wires having metallic terminals I thereon. v Among other objects the invention aims to provide simple and improved connecting means for a plurality of electric wires in conjunction with easily assembled but relatively permanent means for mounting the connector 1n appropriate position. p V

The invention is of particular utility for use with electric motors and in one aspect is inclusive of a housing which serves to clamp insulated metallic terminal connectors to the cas- 1 5 ing of the motor for examplein position to readily receive the terminals of the motor leads and the terminals of line wires connected therewith.

My invention will be understood by reference I to the illustrative construction shown in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure '1 is a longitudinal section taken on' the line I-I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2- 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view with parts broken away and shown in section; and

Figure 4 is a perspective View of a separated part included in the structures of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

In the illustrative construction the part I may represent a fragmentary portion of a motor casing having the opening 2 therein for the passage of the insulated motor leads 3 and 4, each of which is provided with a conventional metallic 3 terminal 5.

In accordance with my invention over the mouth of the opening 2 I have shown secured the metallic housing 6 which, in this instance, is in the form of an elbow having a mouth I lying in a plane at right angles to the mouth of the opening 2. The housing 6 may be secured to the casing I as by tap screws 8 passing through holes 9 in the laterally directed ears I6 formed integrally with the housing and adapted to abut the casing. Three of these attaching ears provide secure attachment of the housing to the casing, while permitting the side of the housing having the mouth I therein, to be unobstructed.

Clamped between the housing 6 and the casing I is the insulating block II which comprises a plate I2 and integral walls I3, [4, 6 and I6 formed thereon. The plate I2 and ends of the walls I3, I4 and I5 of the insulating block II are held in right angular abutment with the casing I 5 by the three-sided frame portion I'I formed by the margin of the housing 6 adjacent its mouth I. This frame portion of the housing is internally grooved as at I8 to receive three edges of the plate II therein. The frame portion Il may be advantageously of arcuate cross section to form the 5' groove I8 and the edges of the plate I2 may be rounded as at I9 to be snugly received therein. The parallel walls I3, I4 and I5 form, in this instance, the two channels 20 and 2| on the block II which are here shown within the hous- 10 ing 6. The wall I6 is transverse to the Walls I3, I4 and I5 and is therefore transverse to each of these channels. snugly received within the channels 20 and 2 I, respectively, are the metallic M terminal connectors 22 and 23, each of which has rivet ends 24 which pass through apertures 25 in the transverse wall I6 and are riveted therein. The connectors are thus firmly secured to the block II, but are insulated from each other and from the casing I and housing 6. The trans- 20 verse wall I6 is spaced sufiiciently from the casing I to space the rivet ends 24 of the connectors therefrom. Each of the connectors 22 and 23 has a plurality of terminal receiving sockets 26 therein. The plate IZmay'haVe a plurality of apertures therein communicating with the sockets 26, such as the apertures 21 and 28. The apertures 28, in this instance, communicate with the sockets 26 which receive the terminals 5 of the motor leads 3 and 4, the terminal 5 of the lead 3 be- 30 ing insertedin a socket in one of the connectors, in this instance, the connector 22 and the terminal 5 of the other motor lead 4 being received in a socket 26 in the other connector, in this instancethe connector 23. The apertures 35 28 which communicate with the sockets which receive the terminals 5 are tapered to flare inwardly so as to receive the bulbous shaped tips of the terminals 5, which are inserted before the block II is clamped permanently to the cas- 40 ing by the housing 6. Since the outer mouth of the aperture 28 is smaller than the largest diameter of the terminals 5, neither these terminals nor similar terminals can be inserted in the apertures 28 from the outside of the housing 6. The apertures 21, however, in the plate I2 which communicate with the other pair of sockets 26, one in each of the connectors 22 and 23 are cylindrical to receive therethrough the terminals 29 of the linewires 30 and 3| which are to be 50 electrically connected respectively to the motor leads 3 and 4.

Thus I have provided a housing having a passageway therethrough communicating with both the opening 2 in the casing I and the sockets 26 thereinto as by the coil compression springs 32 in the connectors, while I have also provided apertures in the connector block communicating with certain of the sockets 26, so that terminals may be received within the connectors from both inside and outside the housing 6 and so arranged that one of the terminals received from the outside Will be placed in electrical connection with one of the terminals received from the inside and the other terminal received from the outside will be placed in electrical connection with the other terminal'received from the inside.

Each of the sockets 26 may have pressed associated with each socket a dome-shaped detent 33 which snaps into an annular groove 34 inone of the terminals 5 or 29. 7

Such changes may be made as fall within the scope of the following claims without departing from the invention.

I claim:

l. The combination with a mounting, of a housing secured thereto, an insulating block clamped to the mounting by the housing, a metallic terminal connector carried upon the side of the block within the housing, said connector having wire terminal receiving sockets therein, and a passageway through the block communicating with one of the said sockets, whereby one wire terminal may be inserted from the exterior through the passageway in the block to be received in one of said sockets and another may be inserted from the interior of the housing to be received in another of said sockets.

2. The combination with a casing; of an opening in the casing for the passage of an insulated wire; a housing secured to the casing over the mouth of the opening; an insulating block clamped to the casing by the housing; a metallic terminal connector carried by the block, said connector having wire terminal receiving sockets therein; and a passageway through the block communicating with one of the sockets.

3. The combination with a casing; of an openterminal receiving sockets therein; apertures in the block registering with the sockets; and means for securing the connectors in the channels including a wall of the block transverse to the channels. 5

4. The combination with a casing, of an opening in the casing for the passage of a plurality of insulated wires, a housing secured to the casing over the mouth of said opening, the housing having a mouth in a plane substantially at right 10 angles to the mouth of the casing, an insulated block clamped to the casing by the housing and forming a closure for the mouth of the housing,

a plurality of channels upon the interior side of the block, a metallic terminal connector re- 15 ceived in each channel, each connector having wire' terminal receiving sockets therein, apertures in the block, passing therethrough and forming passageways each passageway communicating with a socket in each connector, and a 20 spring pressed detent in each of said sockets.

5. The combination with a casing; of a metallic housing secured thereto; an insulating block clamped between the casing and the housing, said block comprising a plate of insulating ma- 25 terial; parallel walls integral with the plate and forming a plurality of channels thereon; an integral wall transverse to all of the channels; holes in the transverse wall registering with each of the channels; holes in the plate registering 30' with each of the channels; a plurality of metallic terminal connectors received in the channels, said connectors having wire terminal receiving sockets therein, said sockets registering with the apertures in the plate; and rivet ends on the con- 35 nectors passing through the apertures in the transverse wall and riveted therein, said transverse wall being spaced sufficiently from said casing to space the connectors therefrom.

6. The structure of claim 3 wherein the housing is internally grooved to receive an edge of the block.

' 7. The structure of claim 4 wherein the mouth of the housing forms a three-sided frame portion for the block and wherein the said frame por- 45' tion and the block where received in said portion are of arcuate crosssection to form a snug mating fit.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 50 

